He is likely going to make his Major League debut in 2025. Get to know him now.
Who is he, and where does he come from?
He’s Hunter Dobbins. He’s not to be confused with the catcher of the same name in the Detroit Tigers minor league system…. not that I know why you’d confuse the two at this point. The Red Sox drafted the Bryan, Texas native in the eighth round of the 2021 MLB draft, and he’s been steadily producing – and improving – since. The righty had a call-up to Triple-A Worcester in late August after about 14 months in Double-A Portland, and he had his contract selected to protect him from the Rule 5 draft this offseason. With that in mind, it’s very possible that we’ll be seeing Dobbins make his Major League debut at some point in 2025.
Is he any good?
He has the potential to be quite a good spot-starter/multi-inning reliever in the short-term, and he has the durability to eventually get some starting rotation looks and turn into a middle rotation guy later on. But things would have to get pretty hairy with injuries for Dobbins to get considerable time as a starter in 2025. As he enters his age-25 season (he turns 26 in August), he may have a serviceable career ahead of him.
As Matt Gross detailed earlier this offseason, the Red Sox have a volatile pitching staff. Before Dobbins was drafted, he earned the qualifying Red Sox acquisition scar of a Tommy John surgery from his days at Texas Tech, just weeks before he was drafted. The good news is, he’s stayed healthy since… knock on wood.
In addition to working on his durability, Dobbins added two pitches, a splitter and curveball, to a growing arsenal that includes a fastball that usually putters around 94, but can reach up to 97 or so. He got taken yard just twice in 2024 in 125 total innings. With 48 walks and 110 hits allowed in that time frame, Dobbins certainly isn’t the type of guy who will go out and put together a no-hitter, but he’ll put some serviceable outings together, prevent guys from crossing home plate, and strike out some guys (though he could stand to strike out a few more). With an expanding pallet of pitching, and he’s got tons of room for growth.
Tl:dr; give me his 2024 stats.
POR/WOR (AA/AAA): 25 G (all starts), 125 2⁄3 IP, 8-5, 120 K, 48 BB, 3.08 ERA, 3.04 FIP, 1.26 WHIP
Show me a cool highlight.
Filthy corner paint on this fastball. This was during a stretch Dobbins had around his call-up to Worcester, in which he amassed 20 strikeouts in 20.2 innings of work.
What’s he doing in his picture up there?
Hey, if he starts the season in Worcester, someone’s gotta field down there, right?
What’s his role on the 2025 Red Sox?
Just as this pitching staff is volatile, so is Dobbin’s potential impact on the team. His 2025 could include anything from spending the whole season in Worcester, to making multiple spot starts for the big league club.
Hear me out: when it comes to Dobbins, I’m of the mind that, if he spends a considerable amount of time on the mound in low-leverage situations in Boston, it would not indicate a roster construction failure on the part of the front office. If Dobbins looks good upon his debut, there’s no reason why he can’t put in 30 or 40 appearances of flexible relief. But it’s more likely Dobbins continues to work on going further in games and honing that fastball and those two new pitches in a lower-leverage role, if not down in Worcester.